Blue salt coming to a roadway near you

COEUR d’ALENE — As early as this weekend, drivers in North Idaho could be seeing blue as ITD maintenance crews begin using a new blue salt product that could represent the next stage in the department’s efforts to improve road-clearing efforts and resulting public safety.

According to the manufacturer, Saltworx, the blue salt is less corrosive than traditional salt. In addition, less of the new blue salt is needed to achieve the same results traditional salt can provide, so it is potentially a cost savings as well.

“We are just experimenting with it at this stage, but it has the potential to save money, some wear-and-tear on vehicles, and most importantly, be more effective on the roads,” said ITD’s North Idaho manager’s assistant, Mike Lenz. The new blue salt will be used on 1,500 miles of area roads across the region.